9 February 2006 Edition

Nuacht na nOibrithe

Sinn Féin Belfast City Councillor Marie Moore with striking postal workers at Larnark Way. Also pictured in attendance is Frank McCoubrey of the loyalist UPRG

Cross community support for Belfast postal workers

The postal dispute affecting Belfast for over a week may escalate as
representatives of striking postal workers lobby colleagues in Derry and
Enniskillen for support.

The unofficial dispute which began last Tuesday 31 January saw workers walk
out of Belfast's main sorting office in Tomb Street accusing management of
using unfair disciplinary procedures against a number of Shankill Road based
employees.

They were joined by workers at the Mallusk sorting office, on Friday 3
February, which lead to widespread disruption of mail deliveries.

Workers are now demanding that their employer, Royal Mail, adopt an
independent industrial and employee relations review of it's disciplinary
procedures, before they return to work. Royal Mail have refused saying it
will only negotiate when the workers go back to work.

The company inflamed matters when managers delivered letters to
representatives of the Communications Workers' Union threatening legal
action against them to recover financial losses.

Accusing the employers of bullying tactics CWP Regional Secretary Lawrence
Huston said the manner in which the letters were delivered was very
distressing for representative's families.

"These actions have put further burden and stress on the very people who
have been working tirelessly to resolve this unofficial dispute and restore
the service to the community."

Meanwhile on Tuesday 7 February postal workers marched from Transport House
in the city centre along the Shankill Road to a rally at Lanark Way
interface, where community representatives and politicians addressed
striking postal workers and representatives from West Belfast based
community groups.

Speaking at the rally Sinn Féin's Michael Ferguson welcomed the
demonstration of working-class unity which saw the community of West Belfast
supporting postal workers from the Shankill Road.

Ferguson drew comparisons with the 1930s Outdoor Relief Strikes which saw
workers from the Falls and Shankill come together to protest against Poor
Law system operated by the unionist dominated Stormont government.

Labour Court backs Doyle Concrete workers

Last November An Phoblacht reported a victorious settlement for workers in
Doyle Concrete, located just outside Rathangan in County Kildare following a
six-week-long strike. Less than two weeks after the settlement was announced
however, management had torn up the agreed formula for a return to work.

In the latest development the Labour Court has again backed SIPTU in the
dispute centring over redundancy, rates of pay and scab workers. SIPTU's
Kildare/Leixlip Branch Organiser Adrian Kane welcomed the victory and called
on management at Doyle's to finally see sense.

"Over the last few months SIPTU members in Doyle Concrete have been laid
off," Mr Kane said, "while non-union employees — who broke the strike and
who have considerably less service than our members -- were transferred from
Doyle Concrete to Steelite".

The company was using an old tax dodge of two companies, declared to be
separate, but in fact one and the same, sacking workers in one, and
employing new workers in the other. The two adjacent companies, sharing
directors and management are Doyle Concrete and Steelite Ltd. The companies
shared a common entrance, phone number and transport system.

"The Court's recommendation is important for a number of reasons," said Mr
Kane. "It has lifted the corporate veil and made nonsense of the bogus
argument put forward by management that Doyle's and Steelite are two totally
separate entities. Steelite and Doyle Concrete are essentially two divisions
of the same company, and the Companies Office shows Steelite as being wholly
owned by Doyle Concrete Ltd. The Court also said that management should
provide SIPTU with written assurances that lower rates of pay no longer
apply to non-national employees."

Delaney campaign backed by over 5,000

A staggering 5,070 people have taken part in the LabourStart email campaign
in the last three weeks to protest the dismissal of Joanne Delaney, fired by
Dunnes Stores for wearing her union badge. Delaney, a Shop Steward with
Mandate, worked at the Crumlin store for over four years.

As well as emails flooding into Dunnes Headquarters protests have taken
place outside Dunnes branches in Dublin and Belfast while the issue was
raised earlier this week in Dublin City Council. Those interested in
supporting the campaign should log on to www.labourstart.org.

Sinn Féin TDs Arthur Morgan and Aengus O Snodaigh met with Joanne and union
officials in Leinster House on Wednesday in an effort to assist the campaign
for her reinstatement.

Action demanded on exploitation of domestic workers

Speaking in the Dáil last Wednesday Sinn Féin's Arthur Morgan challenged the
Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Mícheál Martin to outline what
actions he is taking to protect migrant workers who are employed as domestic
workers.

"Domestic workers are particularly vulnerable to exploitation because they
work behind closed doors. They have less access to information about their
rights and to trade unions," he said.

"We need a guarantee from the Minister that specific action will be taken to
ensure their rights are protected. Sinn Féin is calling for the introduction
of employment regulation orders outlining rates of pay and minimum standards
for domestic workers in light of increasing evidence that these workers are
being exploited and mistreated," said Morgan.

Afterward Morgan said he was "disappointed that the Minister had not set out
a clear time framed plan to address the plight of migrant domestic workers"
and by the Ministers "abdication of any responsibility in relation to the
introduction of employment regulation orders to cover domestic workers".

Fishermen congratulated on protest

Sinn Féin Fisheries spokesperson Martin Ferris has congratulated the
country's fishermen for this weeks protest against the new fisheries bill.
"I will continue to highlight the injustice of this and the common fisheries
policy. The actions and determination of the fishermen will ensure that this
government is kept aware of the huge opposition to these measures that
exists among the countries fishermen.

Leading the campaign against Services Directive

With key votes in the European Parliament on the proposed Services Directive
due next week, Sinn Féin has stepped up its campaign against the
legislation, which is strenuously opposed by trade unions across Europe.

On Wednesday the party held a public meeting in Trinity College Dublin where
Sinn Féin TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh was joined by SIPTU President Jack O'Connor
and René Roovers of the GUE/NGL group in the European Parliament as well as
Barry Finnegan from the Campaign Against the European Constitution.

The party is also launching a newsletter laying out the case against the
Directive and a protest is planned outside the EU Commission offices in
Dublin for 14 February at 12.30pm, when the European Parliament will vote on
the proposal.

Speaking in advance of the meeting Aengus Ó Snodaigh said: "Sinn Féin was
the only party to recognise the full threat posed by the Services Directive
to workers and service users alike when it was first proposed by the
European Commission and came before the Oireachtas EU Affairs Committee back
in March 2004.

"We welcome the recent increase in awareness raising activities by
stakeholders and groups opposed to the Directive. It is essential that broad
public debate precedes and informs the voting decisions of Irish
representatives in both the European Parliament and Council and Sinn Féin is
delighted to facilitate further discussion on the Directive."

Among a number of anti-worker sections in the proposed Directive is key the
'country-of-origin' clause that would allow companies to trade across Europe
on the basis of the labour laws in the country they are registered, and not
the country they operate. In other words workers employed by a company
registered in Estonia but operating in Ireland would be subject to Estonian
labour law.